Personal Reflection on My Values and Ethics Free Sample Essay

My family has contributed a lot in ensuring that I am a better person today, though when growing up I managed to come up with my own principles out of my understanding of the current world affairs. The values of my family are significantly associated with our religion so we, therefore, put into practice values accepted by the Bible. Throughout my life, I grew up with my parents teaching me Christian values, so these values are integrated into my mind up to today and I always try to practice these values even though I sometimes fail. At the moment, my desires and motives to be happy drive me. I have some specific goals that I intend to achieve together with my ethics and values that have advanced to include them at the same time striving to maintain the values taught in my early childhood. There are some situations that I am trapped in dilemmas requiring my attention to make a sound decision between what is right and what satisfies my own self-interest (Kearsley, 2005). To be honest, I am not perfect that I can be doing the right thing always but I am proud of myself for my capacity to be principled and strictly following a path that suits my conscious. At times, my peers try to influence and divert me from my personal decided goals but I am self-driven and abider to my beliefs and what I take to be right to me. Even though I usually make mistakes, at least I am always ready and willing to pay the ultimate consequences attributed to my actions.

In my own perspective of ethics, it is vivid that in white and black, usually, people tend to live in the grey side due to their unwillingness to choose the kind of lifestyle they want to live, though since I belong to the school of thought believing in existence of what is right and what is wrong (Hinman, 2013). I usually strive to be righteous despite the situations. These situations are usually hard since there are always shortcuts which would satisfy my interests better though when something is not appealing to me, I simply ignore it. I am precisely get annoyed by people telling me that they acted in a particular way since they lacked an option. Literally, I am among those people believing that there exists a way always and you have to be willing to undertake anything as long as it is right.

Morality does not encourage laziness (Hinman, 2013). My grandmother taught me values since childhood and I am always grateful since I have realized the intelligence she taught me. In fact, I did not realize it immediately though I always understood her teachings very well which typically ended up being a reflex action, in instances that required me to decide, I could not even need to think twice since I was privy that there is one way that had to be followed. Ethical behavior is branded with characteristics like hard work, principle, courage, and honesty. The opposite usually categorized unethical behavior since it leaves a person prone to situations in which one lacks a strong foundation on such values gets easily influencing rendering that person to make wrong choices (Nathan, 2009). Therefore a person ends up being a victim of opportunity when someone develops his own values, he becomes proactive rather than being reactive. I would assert that my psychological development is in line with Kohlberg development stages also believing that I am in post-conventional stage at the present where I am striving to judge things and make decisions that I literally believe in (Thomas, 2014). In essence, I just find my identity out of every life experience.

            I find the deontological approach to be appealing to me. Actually, I am among those believing that people have to do what they are expected to do and by doing what is contrary to that are considered to be immoral. However, my family did not emphasize this to the full. The categorical imperative model is the most precise. People usually choose time and instances that they can be moral; situations that society rules will charge on them. In instances where the moral rule fails to satisfy their needs, they choose to quit and complain that they are unfair thus being hypocrisy (Nathan, 2009). Abiding by Immanuel Kant’s concept asserting it is impossible to quit morality. It is not clear if my father was privy of this imperative though he often would assert issues as such. I recall him once asked at a point whenever I had done something wrong, “would you like everyone to do what you have just done?” and I answered no and admit any kind of punishment that was subjected to me. I was always reminded by my father that anything I do needs to be respectful to everybody; my action needs to be human. Our family was dedicated to obligations as my father was serving in the military; therefore, our life was structured. I do not remember the frequency that my brothers and I recapped to the duties we hard to undertake and thus failing to do it would automatically impact major things. However, my father would only inform us that we should assume responsibility assigned to us and always ensure that we do it to our best regardless of the type of responsibility at hand.

It was mandatory that we attend church every Sunday. We had a pastor who would give passionate sermons reminding us that we always have to make sound decisions promoting happiness and blessing to everyone since that is what God expects from us. He emphasized that our decisions that we make should not only serve our own self-interest but also serve the interests of other people. Nonetheless, these sermons made a significant impact on my life as I ultimately associated the pastor’s ideology with that of the utilitarian ethics. This model provides that consequences of actions that we undertake are the determining factors of morality unless the action enhances pleasure and happiness it is therefore moral and if it leads to pain and suffering it is considered to be immoral (West, 2013). I doubt if the pastor clearly understood the concept though out of my understanding he gave a hint of the same idea. His teaching always comes to my mind and I now confidently say that the teaching is now serving as a guide to me showing me the appropriate way to partake. Actually, I never perceive myself to be the best and neither am I the most immoral person in the world and as well do not claim any authority in morality.

To sum up, every day, it’s a big struggle for me to be a better man. Of course, like any other human being, I commit mistakes as the decisions I make are sometimes irrational and misguided by peer or ambitions influence but I continue to focus on being a better person every day. At the moment, I have an uphill task figuring out my personality including my beliefs while hoping to find that person sooner so that I do not get lost in other people’s perception of the world. I specifically require some strength in order to ensure that my values sustain and not compromised by my ambitions. I have changed and began taking part in activities that I usually do not participate since they might lead me to where I intend to be. This is, of course, an uphill task but I am hoping that the career I chose will not let me down, draining off every part of my success. I have been taught a lot by my family and it would be shameful suppose I let go these values as I get into adulthood. These values have helped me so much, serving my self-interest and therefore I intend to pass them to my children. Moreover, I have also begun being honest by literally avoiding what is commonly referred to as white lies which are of course harmless. I identified that such small lied attracts more lies which ultimately leads someone to be trapped in a bed of lies where it is difficult to be truthful. The truth needs to be shared openly; keeping information within oneself does not help anything. Therefore, establishing a relationship whether social, romantic or professional based on lies results in unethical behavior and conduct.